Re: Hippies
The Czar knows that ‘Puter is always right.
Hippies require a substantially lavish society in order for them to protest the lavishness of it at all. In poorer cultures, hippies would be eaten.
Your Czar has similar ironic observations about vegans and pacifists requiring a substantially comfortable level of lifestyle as well, but those are topics for another time.
The Czar knows a thing or two about crowd control. He wants to talk about who is really behind the violence. The hippies are just the camouflage.
London, 2009: Protestors against the G20 meetings turn unpredictably violent against police.
Rostock, 2007; hundreds are injured at the G8 meeting in Germany, when protestors become suddenly violent against police.
Edinburgh, 2005: Protestors against the G8 meetings turn unpredictably violent against police.
Evian, 2003: Protestors against the G8 meetings turn unpredictably violent against police.
Washington, 2002: Only slight damage occurs in a violent protest in DC; police attribute the lack of severe violence to post-9/11 vigilence and sudden sense of connectedness.
Genoa, 2001: Protestors against the G8 meetings turn unpredictably violent against police.
Seoul, 2000: 400 protestors sponteneously attack police to protest the Asia-Europe Meeting gathering of delegates from various world powers.
Prague, 1999: 60+ injured when protests against the International Monetary fund explode into violence.
Seattle, 1999: Crowds protesting the WTO summit become ferociously violent, causing massive property damage and resulting in scores of injuries.
You are seeing a pattern no doubt. Anytime foreign leaders come together to discuss the world economy or the growth of capitalism, explosive violence occurs. Well, not everytime: you will notice some years are missing. Why? Those were years that organizers anticipated violence, and basically cracked down old-world style on who was protesting where, and kept the meetings out of highly urbanized areas.
Why? Because it is not, ultimately, the hippies behind the violence. Rather, it is a well-organized anarchist force who shows up to these each year specifically for the goal of destroying huge amounts of property. They were supposed to show up at the Republican National Convention in 2006, except that conservatives generally do not cover for these front lumps the way the liberals do. These guys are financed, equipped, and experienced: they dress like hippies to blend into that tolerate-anything-but-you crowd. They target specific events, like G20 summits, and aim for one bash a year. Like a convention.
Look, if you want your town to host a G8, WTO, or IMF summit, go ahead and do so. But your mayor, your police chief, and your peacekeepers must understand that no matter how you try to smile, organize, portapotty, concession stand, or roll over for the hipsters, this small sect of non-hippies will trigger the violence. The only successful gatherings are those where the hippies are kept in small groups, separated, and away from expensive real estate.
You think London, of all cities, should have anticipated this. They did not: they tried to be nice and accomodating to the left, and the front lumps showed up and caused all this. Your Czar is tellin’ ya: don’t be a nice guy, here.
Божію Поспѣшествующею Милостію Мы, Дима Грозный Императоръ и Самодержецъ Всероссiйскiй, цѣсарь Московскiй. The Czar was born in the steppes of Russia in 1267, and was cheated out of total control of all Russia upon the death of Boris Mikhailovich, who replaced Alexander Yaroslav Nevsky in 1263. However, in 1283, our Czar was passed over due to a clerical error and the rule of all Russia went to his second cousin Daniil (Даниил Александрович), whom Czar still resents. As a half-hearted apology, the Czar was awarded control over Muscovy, inconveniently located 5,000 miles away just outside Chicago. He now spends his time seething about this and writing about other stuff that bothers him.